DOH first shared the videos on social media in April 2017. Leading the agency that year was former health secretary Paulyn Jean Ubial, who is now among the health officials implicated in the Dengvaxia controversy which hounded DOH since 2016.

The vaccine the agency is promoting that time is the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine or PCV vaccine to protect children against pneumococcal infections such as pneumonia and meningitis.

Vaccine trust returning

The health agency observed in their inspections around Baseco Compound, Payatas and in some parts of Quezon City that more children are now being brought to local health centers for free immunization.

“I am happy that parents are now having a change of view on the DOH’s immunization program. What we are seeing now is very different from what we saw (in the past) when people hardly went to health centers for vaccination,” Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said.

There are now 70 measles-related deaths, according to data from the agency.

Duque assured the public that there is an ample supply of vaccines for the public given the low rate in 2018.

A measles outbreak is currently declared in the National Capital Region, Central Luzon, Calabarzon and Western and Central Visayas. DOH is still monitoring the number of cases in other regions.

There was also an outbreak last year in Central Visayas where cases of measles surged to 559 percent.

Duque accused Atty. Persida Acosta of the Public Attorney’s Office of perpetuating the fear against vaccines among Filipinos.

Due to the supposed deaths of children vaccinated with the anti-dengue vaccine, PAO condemned the health agency for implementing the Dengvaxia program in the first place.

Acosta and her team, despite being a law firm, alleged that the deaths of the children are attributed to being injected with the anti-dengue vaccine.